Topic: recording drum groups - what setup?

[sailcat]

I spend lots of time with African musicians, and would love to be able to record practices and jams with enough quality to make it worthwhile. The steup is usually 4 - 8 drummers, from low to high pitch, bells, shakers. No other instruments. THe room is usually in someone's house - performances are another matter, and I think are easier to record.

I want to get something like the r09 or H4, and be as simple and spontaneous as possible.

I need advice on what (minimal) equipment to get, and how to get the best  sound under the conditions described.

Thanks

[sailcat]

I spend lots of time around amazing African musicians, and wouldlove to tape their practices/jams/parties, etc., and occasionally performances. Most of the action is rooms in people's houses or other pretty small spaces. I'll probably go with an R09 or H4, and I'd like to hear some thoughts on how to get good sound in these situations. Usually 4-8 drummers, bells, shakers, etc. Occasional flute.   The perfect setup for ease of use would be simply internal mics, device pointed at the group, but I suspect that might not result in the best sound. I've got a couple of 57s, and will probably blow all my $$ on a recorder. Anyone have experience getting good sound from lots of drums in a small apace? Inexpensive mic recommendations? I've been told large diaphragm is better for this application...

Thanks

[muj]

try spaced omnis ...and spend time positioning the musicians , so you nail the sound.

[branas]

Internal mic's will pick up mostly lows, you will lose the dynamics coming from the head along with the higher frequencies. I have experimented with Djembe's in my studio and I get the best results mic'ing both the top of the drum and putting one off axis near the bottom of the drum. With that said, I do not think it is best for your situation. Sounds like you are going to be recording 2 channels, yes? I would go with muj's suggestion optimally for 2 channel, but if you are working with sm57's you may need to spend a little more time moving mic's and people around until you get the most balanced sound. If you are looking to spend some money on mic's but want to stay cheap, look at the Studio Projects brand, they have large diaphragms, etc, that are as cheap as it gets while retaining decent quality. Another option would be to use 4 or 5 57's and get a cheap mixer, line out of the mixer into the 2ch recorder, also, I would throw a "room" mic in there to add a little ambiance.